The last person to see Marc Bontkes alive was his then-roommate, with whom he shared a life of partying and drug use for the last few months leading up to his murder.
Dwayne Nelson testified that Bontkes, 33, was addicted to drugs 鈥 鈥渉ard鈥 鈥 and that he was out of control and hard to handle, but was a smiling and decent guy.
Nelson was testifying in the Supreme Court jury trial of Robert David Bradshaw, who is facing two first degree murder charges for the deaths of Bontkes and another drug dealer, Laura Lynn Lamoureux.
Roy Thielen is already serving a life sentence for both killings and 91原创鈥檚 Michelle Motola, who was 17 at the time of the murders in March, 2009, is serving six years for Bontkes鈥 murder.
Nelson was arrested the day after Bontkes was killed on 鈥渁 suspicion of murdering鈥 Bontkes. He was later released.
鈥淢arc was addicted to heroin, but he would take anything he could get his hands on . . . he would beat people, rob people. I was hired to go have a chat with him in May 2008,鈥 Nelson said of how they met.
But the two came out of the chat as friends, and Nelson said they partied hard with girls and drugs, selling and buying daily.
At the time of the murder, Nelson said they were living in Bontkes鈥 dad鈥檚 RV, which was parked on a 64 Avenue property that his father was going to develop.
Nelson said at the time, 91原创鈥檚 drug scene was 鈥渞ough鈥 and violent.
There were at least four dial-a-dope operations running at the same time in 91原创, with turf wars and many people being 鈥渢runked鈥 鈥 a term meaning being put in a trunk, driven someplace and beaten.
He said at the time, Lamoureux was known as an enforcer.
鈥淲ho didn鈥檛 know Double D?鈥 Nelson testified about Lamoureux. 鈥淚f you didn鈥檛 know Double D, you weren鈥檛 in the drug world.鈥
But later he testified that Bontkes didn鈥檛 know her.
Bontkes had robbed almost every dial-a-dope line and Nelson had to buy drugs for him because he had crossed everyone, he said. Bradshaw was one of the dealers Nelson would buy drugs from.
Then Bontkes met the 17-year-old Motola, who would eventually lure him to his death.
Nelson said the two partied hard and Bontkes drove her to her drug deals. He recalled a night when Motola picked him up in her car and her boyfriend was handcuffed and drugged out in the backseat as she ran her drugs. Bontkes couldn鈥檛 get over the fact that she had to sit on purses to see over the steering wheel.
鈥淢arc liked her but she was with Paulie (Bradshaw),鈥 said Nelson.
Nelson testified that he and Bontkes didn鈥檛 really discuss the murder of Lamoureux (her street name was Double D). She was killed five days before Bontkes, outside her 91原创 City apartment.
On the night Bontkes was murdered, Nelson testified that Motola called him crying that her boss was going to slit her throat for debts she owed him.
Nelson said he heard Bontkes tell Motola to come over and get him so he could go 鈥渒ill that ****sucker.鈥
Nelson claims he knew this was bad and asked Bontkes to let it go. Before he knew it, Motola was driving him away. Hours later, police would tape off the parking lot of Hi-Knoll Park where Bontkes鈥 body was found.
As soon as Nelson found out that a 33-year-old man had been killed, he knew it was Bontkes and called Bradshaw, first on his drug line.
鈥淚 said where is that ****? She left with Marc and now he鈥檚 dead,鈥 said Nelson.
He alleges Bradshaw told him to calm down and the two met in the parking lot of Samz Pub.
Nelson said Bradshaw was a good guy, always friendly, easy to deal with. Nelson alleges Bradshaw said: 鈥淵ou live by the sword, you die by the sword鈥 in reference to Bontkes鈥 murder. Nelson testified that in the drug world, that鈥檚 true.
鈥淵ou either end up in prison or dead,鈥 he said.
Bontkes left behind a toddler and a wife.
The trial will resume on Wednesday. The jury is hearing from a wide variety of witnesses and is expected to finish by the end of next week.